The present invention relates to a drum foot-pedal assembly. More particularly this invention concerns a mounting clamp for a bass-drum foot pedal.
A bass drum in a drum set typically sits on the floor with its axis horizontal and axis of its skins lying in a vertical plane and turned toward the drummer. The drum is cylindrical and has at each end a counterhoop or rim that is used to pull the drum head tight. A foot-pedal assembly is secured to this rim and carries a beater and a pedal that is connected to the beater such that, when the pedal is depressed, the beater strikes the drum head. Such an assembly typically comprises a base that sits on the floor and that has two upright and spaced posts bridged by a shaft carrying a mount for the stick of the beater. The pedal is hinged on the base and has an end attached by a linkage to the mount so that, when the pedal is depressed, the shaft rotates and the head of the beater moves toward the drum skin. A spring unit pulls the beater head back from the drum skin and raises the pedal after each actuation.
The pedal assembly is attached to the drum so that, as the drum is played, the pedal and drum do not move apart. To this end a simple two-part clamp is normally provided that radially grips the drum rim and that is attached to the pedal-assembly base plate.
While in cheaper drum sets the rims are made of metal, in better sets they are made of hardwood, for instance maple, which has a better appearance and allegedly gives a better tone to the drum. Such wood rims are somewhat more fragile than the metal ones and the normally metallic clamps that are provided on standard pedal assemblies can damage them. This is particularly a problem when the clamp is set up such that it must be fitted on and tightened each time the drum set is set up.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved drum-pedal clamp.
Another object is the provision of such an improved drum-pedal clamp which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is which can solidly grip even a fine wooden rim without damaging it.
A further object is to provide such a clamp with a particularly effective quick-disconnect and -connect feature.
A drum having an annular rim is connected to a pedal assembly by a clamp having according to the invention an outer clamp part engaging an outer surface of the rim only at a pair of locations axially spaced along the rim and an inner clamp part generally aligned with the outer part and engaging an inner surface of the rim only at a pair of locations axially spaced along the rim and lying between the locations of the outer clamp part. The clamp parts are pressed toward each other against the respective surfaces of the rim, and a coupling secures the clamp parts to the pedal assembly.
The offset contact points of the two clamp parts ensures that the clamping has an axial effect and does not simply compress and, often, crush the rim. This system is much more effective on high-quality wood rims and at the same time ensures that the pedal assembly will be solidly attached to the drum.
The inner part according to the invention is shorter than the outer part measured parallel to the rim. Parallel to the rim means angularly relative to the normally horizontal axis on which the drum is centered and which passes centrally and perpendicularly through the two drum skins. Making the inner part shorter allows the contact points to be constituted at the ends of the two parts and inherently makes the inner-part contact points lie inside the outer-part contact points. These points themselves are formed by pads at which the respective parts contact the respective surfaces of the rim. The are elastomeric, either of rubber or an elastomeric plastic.
In accordance with the invention the coupling between the clamp and the foot-pedal assembly is releasable. It includes a seat formed on the clamp parts and a coupling element carried on the pedal assembly and fittable in the seat. Thus the clamp can be left on the drum so that, when the drum set is moved, it is merely necessary to uncouple the pedal assembly from the clamp. This construction avoids the possibility of damaging the rim by repeatedly mounting the clamp on and taking it off the rim. The means for pressing the two clamp parts together includes screws engaged between the clamp parts. Four screws are used, two for coarse adjustment and two for fine adjustment so that the parts can be set parallel to each other and to the drum axis, ensuring that they will not scratch the rim. In other words two of the screws serve to hold the clamp parts apart, and two serve to pull them together.
The parts together form a concave seat open toward the pedal assembly which may be lined with cushioning material. In addition the clamp parts are plate-shaped and the pedal assembly has a rod engageable complementarily in the seat. In this case the coupling includes another seat formed on the clamp parts and a coupling element carried on the pedal assembly and fittable in this other seat. The pedal assembly further includes a base plate carrying the coupling element, a lock device for displacing the coupling element when engaged in the seat toward the base plate for pressing the base plate into the seat, a beater, a pedal, and a linkage engaged between the pedal and the beater for striking a head of the beater against the drum when the pedal is actuated.
The coupling in accordance with the invention includes a shaft displaceable by the lock device and having a head projecting past the base plate and complementarily engageable in the seat. The lock device includes a lever actuatable to displace the head toward and away from the base plate which itself is provided with a pair of upstanding posts between which the rod extends. The rod is provided with cushioned sleeves engageable in the seat and the shaft carrying the head projects through the rod and is slidable in the base plate. The lever carries a cam engageable with the shaft. Thus with this system the pedal assembly can extend at an angle to the clamp, since the shaft fitting in the concave seat can hold at any of a plurality of angularly offset positions.